Worldy Christian or World Christian?

Christmas - 2011 is over and some of us have celebrated several Christmases in our lives. There are also people in this world who have never heard the first Christmas story, even once in their lives. Oswald Smith said, “We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard the first.” What is our responsibility as a follower of Christ this New Year? How about being a “World Christian?”


Who is a World Christian? A World Christian is one who has a God's perspective of the world. How did God view the world? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). How was Jesus, when he lived in this world? Jesus felt compassionate to those in need (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, 20:34, Mark 6:34, 8:2, Luke 15:20, etc.). And the Holy Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26).


No follower of Christ is exempted from following the “Great Commission.”  (Matthew 28:18-20). This passage has a promise to inherit, and a command to be followed. Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."


How can we make disciples of nations? In a land like India, where there is a kaleidoscope of cultures, every place and geographical state is unique. India is like, nations within a nation. The percentage of Christians is increasingly high in the south and the north east Indian states, compared to the rest of India. The greatest call in this land of India for a follower of Christ is to be a cross-cultural worker in a geographically and culturally distant place (as a missionary). Now with urbanisation a reality in countries like India, in the cities, the mission fields are not geographically distant. They are only culturally distant and they are at the door steps.


However, all of us for sure need to choose to be a “World Christian.” True Mission starts with love in us, like the love of God, which he showed towards this world. It is followed by a compassion which propels us to be involved in missions to the needy. We will also intercede like the Holy Spirit, to the Lord of the harvests, to send out workers into his harvest field (Matthew 9:38). We cannot travel to all the nations of the world and places in India to proclaim the gospel. But we can travel to all those places with our knees. While praying, we need to pray intelligently and specifically for the needs of these places. “Operation World” gives a prayer calendar to help us to pray, every day, for the countries of the world systematically: http://www.operationworld.org/prayer-calendar. How I wish that our churches and houses will turn to be a “House of Prayer for all Nations” (Isaiah 56:7).


All who pray, “Maranatha" (Come, Lord) should say that after reading Matthew 24:14. Jesus said: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”. What is our responsibility as a follower of Christ in the New Year to see to that the gospel is preached to all nations? I would pray that the love of God, the compassion of Christ and the interceding nature of the Holy Spirit would grip us all the more this New Year.


Am I going to be a “Worldy Christian” or a “World Christian” this New Year? Wishing All My Friends a Blessed 2012!

Christmas Teaches Me...

We are in a Christmas mood and spirit. The first Christmas has lots to teach us. Here are a few truths Christmas teaches me to adhere to:

Belief, Not Unbelief

When the angel said to Zechariah at his old age that he and his wife Elizabeth would give birth to a miracle baby, all that showed up on the old man were waves of unbelief.  His unbelief was at its peak when he asked the angel for a sign. Yes, a sign was given. He became dumb until the birth of John, the miracle baby!

Now living in the same time and space, was a village girl named Mary, a relative of Elizabeth. She too was told by an angel that she would give birth to a miracle baby even while she was a virgin. But when she heard an encouraging promise from the angel that nothing is impossible with God, she surrendered to the Lord who had sent the angel saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). Is that not a sign of belief we see in Mary, the mother of Jesus?

Now, faith is to believe. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”. Zechariah and Mary believed in something impossible. Their believing patterns were different. Yet they enjoyed seeing miracles happen. Hebrews 11 gives a list of such heroes and heroines of faith who received in this world what they could not believe. But the latter part of the chapter also gives a list of unnamed heroes and heroines, who did not receive a miracle while they were living on this earth. They were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised (Hebrews 11:35-38)

True believers of God of the Bible do not hope in their God, for their earthly living alone (1 Corinthians 15:19). They live in this world, in faith, looking forward to an eternal life of heavenly bliss with God after their earthly lives are over.

Love, Not Fear

When the angels brought good news, all of them feared: Zechariah, Mary and the shepherds. So the angels had to say to all of these people: “Fear Not’” (Luke 1:12-13, 29-30, 2:9-10).

Can fear over rule our life, ever? No. God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7). There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us (1John 4:18-19).  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). One needed fear in all of us should be a fear of punishment and judgment for our wrong doings. Such a fear can only motivate us to repent to this loving God (Proverbs 8:13). For all other fears pertaining to this world, God says: "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

Humility, Not Pride

Herod in the Christmas narrative, behaved arrogant and proud. He did not want a King to be born for the Jews. But in his attempt he only failed. The biblical truth that the divine favor is upon the humble is proved in the way, the angel salutes Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28) Mary too shares this truth through her song: “God has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” (Luke 1:52)

Paul defines humble persons as those who consider others better than themselves and those who do not look into their own interests, but will look into the interests of others. Paul then cites Jesus who came down from heaven in a humble manner, relinquishing his own interest as a supreme example of humility in Philippians 2: 1-11. That is the greatest truth of the Christmas narrative.

As a believer, born again as a child of God, I commit myself to adhere to these great truths of the Christmas story as I gear up to celebrate one another Christmas this year. I wish that the teachings of the Bible become more personal to all of us during this Christmas season.

A Merry Christmas to You!

The Four Songs in the Birth Narrative of Jesus

Meaning of Blessing! (From the birth narrative of Jesus)

Do you know that there is a mention of four songs in the birth narrative of Jesus? Let us get to know what blessing is from these songs.

Mary’s Song: Magnificat - “To Glorify” (Luke 1:46-55)
This is how, Mary calls herself blessed in her song: “From now on all generations will call me blessed!” (v.48). Elizabeth twice addresses Mary as a blessed woman: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! (v.42) Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" (v.45)

God in particular blessed Mary, by choosing her as an instrument to carry baby Jesus. Even if someone has a thesis that, it was Eve, a woman who brought sin into the world, here is an anti-thesis that another woman, Mary offered herself as an instrument to bring forth the Saviour. But we should know that for being an instrument to carry Him, she needed to be obedient to the word of God brought through the angel (v.38). She was asked to give birth to the Savior as a virgin, which she could not understand at all, yet obeyed. Also Mary had the Lord as her Saviour, for she said, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, (Luke 1:46-47). A woman in particular, who has the Lord as her Savior and obeys his commands at any cost is an asset in the kingdom of God and not a liability as viewed in some countries in the world.

Zechariah's Song: Benedictus - “Blessed” (Luke 1:76-79)
Zechariah was a priest. Both he and his wife, Elizabeth were blameless people. Yet they did not have a child. So childlessness is biblically not a sign of unrighteousness or unblessedness. (v.6-7). At the birth of the miracle baby, John, the dumb Zechariah began to talk. The people on seeing the miracles one after the other exclaimed, “What then is the child going to be?” (v.66). Zechariah’s song is an answer to this question. The second part of Zechariah’s song contains words of blessing to his son. “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." (v.76-79) John undoubtedly was blessed as a great man of God. Jesus himself praised John in many occasions.

Living in a world with deteriorating values, some of us have the question, "What is my child going to be? How am I going to raise my kid?" One thing we can do is to speak blessing to our children. Blessed parents would in turn bless their children. We can speak out/sing words from the Bible to them. The Gaithers were like most of us parents, praying for their third baby. They were seriously thinking about raising their kid during a difficult time in the US history. They were undergoing pressures in their family lives and their ministries too. It was during their time of anxiety about the future of the child, that God gave Gloria and her husband Bill, this wonderful song:
How sweet to hold a new born baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

The Angels Song: Gloria in Excelsis Deo - “Glory to God in the Highest” (Luke 2:14)
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" was for sure a blessed news in a time of Roman oppression for the people of Israel. The angels passed the message of peace and blessing to the right kind of people, the shepherds. They were not given an astronomical sign like a star which was given to the wise men. Look at the sign given to them: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (v. 9-12). The wise men went to the wrong place first. But the shepherds found the manger straight away. It is said that these shepherds were tending sheep meant for sacrifice at the Jerusalem temple. It was in such mangers in that area that these sacrificial lambs dwelt. What a divine co-ordination it is to see that JESUS the Lamb of God, was born among these sacrificial lambs. The shepherds not only were blessed to see the sacrificial lamb, JESUS, but they also spread the blessed message about their Saviour. We need divine discernment to find out who are the right people in our context for us to share the blessed news, so that, they in turn would spread the blessed news across.

Simeon’s Song: Nunc Dimittis - “Now Dismiss” (Luke 2:29-32)
Simeon was an old man waiting for his death. He was a righteous man. He was also waiting for the Saviour to come into this world. When he saw baby Jesus and his parents, he was moved by the Holy Spirit and he started to praise God: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." Blessed people are ones like Simeon, who look for salvation from the Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus is the greatest blessing one can ever have in their lives. His people have a blessed end for they do not die for ever, but live with him for ever! What a blessed end!                       

                               

Babies Speak Out!

We know of the famous contemporary babies born during the first Christmas – Jesus and John. They were special babies born after angelic announcements. But have we ever thought about the unnamed contemporary babies born in that same time and space, but who were not privileged ones like these two? Let’s spend some time pondering about the Christmas Babies!

Baby Jesus had a Righteous Dad

I admire Joseph, the foster father of Jesus who was termed righteous (Matthew 1:19) for many reasons. He accepted his virgin wife who got pregnant mysteriously. He there after executed his responsibility of a dad to baby Jesus, fulfilling  every detail. He respected Mary by not having a union with her until baby Jesus was born (v. 25). In the meantime, he went from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register with Mary, who was fully pregnant with baby Jesus (Luke 2:4). After the baby was born, he took them both and made an emergency exit to Egypt during a night (Mathew 2:13-14). After some time, he again took the two of them back to Nazareth (2:20-21). Joseph executed his responsibilities in raising baby Jesus who was in no way his child. Dads today find their model in Joseph in raising up their own children!

Mary and Joseph brought up Jesus according to the Mosaic law. When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: a pair of doves or two young pigeons (Luke 2:22-24). They got the baby blessed by children of God like, Simeon and Anna (2:25-32, 37-38).

Even as a child, Jesus was in his heavenly Father’s business in the temple (Luke 2:49). He was obedient to his parents. He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (v. 51-52). Later during Jesus’ ministry a woman commended mother Mary as: "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." (11:27). Jesus had poor parents, but they were a blessing to Him.

Baby John had a Priest Dad

Mary and Joseph were from the so-called laity parental context. But baby John was raised by parents who were in ministry, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly (Luke 1:5-6). Both parents were filled with the Holy Spirit (41, 67). No wonder baby John was filled with the Holy Spirit even when he was in his mother’s womb (v.15).

I like Zechariah the way he pronounced blessing on his child (Luke 1:76-79). True to the blessing of Zechariah, John later was commended by none other than Jesus as: " I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (Luke 7: 28). We learn from Zechariah the need to bless children in an audible manner.

Babies in Bethlehem had a Killer Herod

In his pursuit to kill baby Jesus, evil king Herod butchered the boy babies under the age of two in the small town of Bethlehem. I guess, the Roman soldiers in their killing spree would not have stopped to enquire the age of the baby or even the sex of the baby. So a reasonable number of innocent babies were killed on that fateful day.

Even today, innumerable innocent babies are killed in the name of abortion, many a times, because of immoral life styles. Even educated parents are unwise in planning a pregnancy and they so easily abort their baby, without realizing the worth of the baby’s life. Worst of all, some parents abort girl babies. There are many places in India where girl babies are killed after their birth, brutally. Some parents though they may not literally kill their children, they are ruining their lives by being bad role-models. None of these parents are in anyway better than the wicked Herod.

Parents can either raise or ruin a child’s future. What sort of a parent am I?  Are our children privileged to have blessed parents like how Jesus and John had? 

I pray and wish that the Herodic schemes of killing children in brutal and subtle ways would be given up. I want to involve in all ways possible to prevent abortion of babies and brutal killing of girl babies in my own context.  

கிறிஸ்மஸ் கற்றுத் தருவது...

அவிசுவாசமல்ல, விசுவாசம்

வயது முதிர்ந்த நிலையியிலும் குழந்தை பாக்கியம் இல்லாதிருந்த‌ ஆசாரியன் சகரியாவிடம், தேவதூதன் அவன் மனைவியாகிய எலிசபெத்து ஒரு அற்புத குழந்தையைப் பெற்றெடுப்பாள் என்று சொன்ன போது அவனுக்குள் அவிசுவாசம் தலைத்தூக்கி நின்றது. அவிசுவாசத்தின் உச்சக்கட்டமாக ஒரு அடையாளத்தை நாடுகின்றான். குழந்தை யோவான் பிறக்கும் வரைக்கும் அவன் ஊமையாகிப் போனதே அவன் அவிசுவாசத்திற்கு கொடுக்கப்பட்ட அடையாளமாகும் (லூக்கா 1).

கன்னியாக இருக்கும் போதே பரிசுத்த வித்துவினால் "இயேசு" என்னும் தெய்வக் குழந்தையைப் பெற்றெடுப்பாள் என்ற செய்தியை  எலிசபெத்துவின் உறவின் முறையான மரியாள் என்னும் கிராமப் பெண் கேட்கின்றாள். "தேவனாலே கூடாதகாரியம் ஒன்றுமில்லை" என்ற  தூதனின் ஊக்க வார்த்தையையும் கேட்கின்றாள். "இதோ நான் ஆண்டவருக்கு அடிமை. உம்முடைய வார்த்தையின்படி எனக்கு ஆகக்கடவது" என்று மரியாள் சொன்னதே அவளது விசுவாத்தின் அடையாளமாகும் (லூக்கா 1).

விசுவாசமானது நம்பப்படுகிறவைகளின் உறுதியும், காணப்படாதவைகளின் நிச்சயமுமாயிருக்கிறது (எபிரேயர் 11:1). ஆனால் அவ்வதிகாரத்தில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ள விசுவாச வீரர் பட்டியலில் கீழ்கண்டோரையும் காணலாம்: வாதிக்கப்பட்டவ‌ர்கள், நிந்தைகளையும் அடிகளையும் கட்டுகளையும் காவலையும் அநுபவித்தவ‌ர்கள், கல்லெறியுண்டவ‌ர்கள், வாளால் அறுப்புண்டவர்கள், பரீட்சைபார்க்கப்பட்டவர்கள், பட்டயத்தினாலே வெட்டப்பட்டு மரித்தவ‌ர்கள், செம்மறியாட்டுத் தோல்களையும் வெள்ளாட்டுத் தோல்களையும் போர்த்துக்கொண்டு திரிந்தவர்கள், குறைவையும் உபத்திரவத்தையும் துன்பத்தையும் அநுபவித்தவர்கள். இவர்களெல்லாரும் விசுவாசத்தினாலே நற்சாட்சிபெற்றும், வாக்குத்தத்தம்பண்ணப்பட்டதை அடையாமற்போனார்கள்.  இம்மைக்காக மாத்திரம்  இயேசுவை விசுவாசியாமல் இருப்பதே உண்மையான விசுவாசமாகும் (1 கொரிந்தியர் 15:19).

பயமல்ல, தைரியம்

தேவ செய்தியை பெற்றுக் கொள்ள சகரியா, மரியாள், மேய்ப்பர் அனைவருமே பயந்தனர். இந்நிலைமையில் அவர்களுக்கு கொடுக்கப்பட்ட இறைவாக்கு என்ன? "பயப்படாதீர்கள்." (லூக்கா 1:12-13, 29‍-30, 2:9-10).

தேவன் நமக்குப் பயமுள்ள ஆவியைக் கொடாமல், பலமும் அன்பும் தெளிந்த புத்தியுள்ள ஆவியையே கொடுத்திருக்கிறார் (2 தீமோத்தேயு 1:7). மேலும், தேவன் அன்பாகவே இருக்கிறார்; நியாயத்தீர்ப்புநாளிலே நமக்குத் தைரியமுண்டாயிருக்கத்தக்கதாக (தேவ) அன்பு நம்மிடத்தில் பூரணப்படுகிறது; அன்பிலே பயமில்லை; பூரண அன்பு பயத்தைப் புறம்பே தள்ளும்; பயமானது வேதனையுள்ளது, பயப்படுகிறவன் அன்பில் பூரணப்பட்டவன் அல்ல (1 யோவான் 4:16-18).

நாம் ஏன், எதற்காக இன்று பயப்படுகிறோம்? நம்மில் எவரும் பாவம் செய்ய பயப்படவேண்டும் (நீதிமொழிகள் 8:13). மாறாக எதற்கு எடுத்தாலும் பயப்படக் கூடாது. அப்படிப்பட்டவர்களைப்  பார்த்து, ஆண்டவர் கூறுகிறது என்ன? "நீ பயப்படாதே, நான் உன்னுடனே இருக்கிறேன்; திகையாதே, நான் உன் தேவன்; நான் உன்னைப் பலப்படுத்தி உனக்குச் சகாயம்பண்ணுவேன்; என் நீதியின் வலதுகரத்தினால் உன்னைத் தாங்குவேன்." (ஏசாயா 41:10).

பெருமையல்ல, தாழ்மை

தன்னைத் தவிர வேறு ஒரு ராஜா எழும்பக்கூடாது என்ற குறிக்கோளோடு செருக்கோடு செயல்பட்டான் ஏரோது மன்னன். ஆனால் அவன் செயல்களில் தோல்வியையே தழுவினான் (மத்தேயு 2). தாழ்மையுள்ளவர்களுக்கு கிருபை அளிக்கும் இறைவன், மரியாளை, "கிருபை பெற்றவளே, வாழ்க" என்று அழைப்பதன் மூலம், மரியாளில் அவர் எதிர்பார்க்கும் தாழ்மை இருந்தது என்று அறிகிறோம். அவள் பாடியுள்ள பாடலின் வரிகளும் வரலாற்றில் செருக்கானவர்களை இறைவன் தள்ளி, தாழ்மையுள்ளவர்களை நோக்கிப் பார்த்ததையே உயர்த்தி உரைக்கின்றது (லூக்கா 1:46-55).

மேலும் மனுஷ சாயலில் ஒரு குழந்தையாக பிறந்து, நாம் படும் அவதிகளை ஈன சிலுவை பரியந்தம் அனுபவித்த இறைவன் இயேசுவையே தாழ்மையின் தலையான எடுத்துக்காட்டாக பவுல் உயர்த்திக் காட்டுகின்றார். ஒன்றையும் வாதினாலாவது வீண் பெருமையினாலாவது செய்யாமல், மனத்தாழ்மையினாலே ஒருவரையொருவர் தங்களிலும் மேன்மையானவர்களாக எண்ணி, அவனவன் தனக்கானவைகளையல்ல, பிறருக்கானவைகளையும் நோக்க வேண்டும் என்று மனத் தாழ்மைக்கான விளக்கத்தையும் பவுல் தருகின்றார் (பிலிப்பியர் 2:1-11).

 கிறிஸ்மஸ் கற்றுத் தரும் உண்மைகளை என் வாழ்வில் செயலாக்கம் செய்வதே கிறிஸ்துவில் மீண்டும் பிறந்த அனுபவமுள்ள என்னுடைய கடமை என்று உணர்கிறேன்.  கிறிஸ்மஸ் கொண்டாட்டத்தில் கிறிஸ்துவின் போதனைகள் நம்மை ஆட்கொள்ள விரும்புகிறேன்!